Fire in Fort McMurray: One year later

Residents of Fort McMurray, Alta., knew their town was in danger in late April 2016. If you managed to avoid the news reports, there was the smell of smoke, and the horizon’s glow to keep you aware.

Still, the call that came May 3 was a shock.

Get out.

In the scramble to reach safety, families were separated and lives thrown into turmoil. Even now, after a year of coping and rebuilding, the impact of the evacuation is fresh and raw. And the stories, good and bad, are still being told.

One year after a massive wildfire raged through Fort McMurray, Alta., Kristen Green is still coming to terms with what happened.

"It was surreal," the Carbonear native told The Compass when asked to describe what it was like being in the thick of it. "I think that's the best word to describe it. Parts of it still don't feel real."

In August, Andrew Laite, Courtney Power-Laite, and big sister Lilah, welcome a new baby girl, Brielle, to their lives.

"I remember that day vividly. I remember every thing about that day," Debbie Drodge told The Packet, as she recalled last year's events.

"I remember the quietness and the eeriness … I remember I said to my husband that I'm not taking any pictures as we drive through Fort McMurray, and we drove through Fort McMurray and we didn’t speak to each other at all. It was just quiet."

Shawn Kennedy returned to P.E.I. from Fort McMurray after being forced to evacuate with his two-year daughter, Madison, and his six-year-old son, Nolan. They are among hundreds of Islanders living and working in Fort Mac who remain uncertain about their futures with so much damage to the city by the wildfires.

Amid the raging flames, the smoke that blackened the sky, the danger, uncertainty and panic, one of the things that stands out most in the mind of Jordan Tibbo was the kindness.

“People shared gas, gave rides, helped others pack and even picked up friends’ children from school. In gridlocked traffic we were waved ahead by a gentleman as if it was no different than lunchtime rush hour.”

“Fort McMurray has been on my mind a lot this past week,” says Mike Donaldson.

“I have reached out, over the past few days, to a few of the people who I had worked closely with throughout the weeks after the fire ... I find my mind returning to some rather intense memories.”

In the spring of 2016 they were part of a team of professionals helping Fort McMurray residents cope with the devastation and loss caused by the fire. The Donaldsons had spent a couple of years in the Alberta city working as counsellors when the fire happened.

Olivia Little of Fort McMurray still struggles with the memory of the fires last May.

That’s what it felt like to drive back into Fort McMurray and see the damage that the forest fire caused last year.

“It was a huge shock seeing the devastation and coming to terms with it as the new normal,” said Erika Margeson, a former Pictou County resident who, along with her husband Connor and five-week-old baby, fled the flames. “It took a long time for it to feel like home to us again. It's still a lot to process.”

This week as the country and the city in particular remember the fire, she said it has been odd for everyone living there.

“We talk about the fire every day, we see what it left all around us, but somehow the anniversary is stirring up lots of unsettled feelings,” she said. “I can imagine those who still aren't back in their homes or still fighting to get back to normal are just completely overwhelmed.”